Are you someone who struggles to keep their blood pressure under control? Do you spend most of your day inside or in the car? Do you feel a little less stressed already looking at these trees?
High blood pressure, or hypertension, has been dubbed “the silent killer” because it usually gives no symptoms. If you think about it, every organ in your body needs blood to survive and you need every organ in your body working to live. When your blood pressure is high for a long time, it decreases the efficiency with which blood gets to your organs. Diseases or serious medical events happen based on the affected organs. If there’s not enough blood supply to your heart, you have a heart attack. If there’s not enough blood supply to your brain, you have a stroke. If there’s not enough going to your kidneys, you get kidney failure. Get the idea? You can learn more about high blood pressure here.
There are many ways to reduce your risk both for developing high blood pressure and lowering blood pressure that is already low. I like to highlight what is simple, effective, and inexpensive.
It’s no secret that the US spends too much money on healthcare. According to the CDC, “Total costs associated with high blood pressure in 2011 in the US were $46 billion in health care services, medications, and missed days of work.” That’s a lot of money!
Enter “Shinrin-yoku” or “forest bathing.” A recent systematic review and meta-analysis (read: highest quality research study that exists) looked at the effects of simply being in a forest on blood pressure. Apparently, it’s gaining a lot of attention in the East. Like it sounds, it involves going outside and spending time in a forest environment – walking or sitting still.
And the results? They found that both systolic blood pressure (top number) and diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) were significantly lower when participants were in forest versus non-forest environments.
Amazing!
I am constantly surprised at how Eastern medicine is so much more advanced when it comes to preventing health problems or treating them so early. It is so simple and elegant just to ask someone to walk outside instead of jumping prescription medication.
And the best part, it is FREE. Talk about reducing burden on the healthcare system.
To be clear, I am NOT telling you to stop taking your medications. Instead, I am suggesting that you incorporate outdoor time into your day, whether you take blood pressure medicine or not. If consistent time outside does lower your blood pressure, you could partner with your physician to change your doses or eliminate some medications. Let’s be part of the solution.
Comment below with your strategies for lowering blood pressure. How has being outside affected you?
